Islamic Jihad accepts ceasefire after 10 killed in Israeli- Palestinian conflict

Islamic Jihad accepts ceasefire after 10 killed in Israeli- Palestinian conflict

 Islamic Jihad movement said Sunday that it accepted an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire with Israel after a day of cross-border violence that left nine Palestinians and one Israeli dead.

Adham Abu Selmeya, spokesman for emergency services in the Hamas-run ministry of health in Gaza, told reporters that nine Palestinians were killed. "Seven died on Saturday and two were killed before dawn of Sunday in the intensive Israeli aerial raids on Gaza Strip."

Eyewitnesses said that Israeli fighter jets struck a training post belonging to the Islamic Jihad (Holy War) movement's armed wing al-Quds Brigades on Saturday in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah, killing five militants and wounding three others.

Jihad vowed heavy revenge, and had fired, together with four other militant groups, a barrage of long-range Russian-made Grad rockets, homemade rockets and mortar projectiles and shells against the central and southern Israeli towns.

Al-Quds Brigades as well as the four militant groups claimed responsibility on Saturday and Sunday in separate statements for firing more than 25 rockets and mortar shells at central and southern Israeli regions.

Israeli Radio quoted an Israeli army spokesman as saying that one Israeli citizen in the southern Israeli town of Ashkelon was killed and six others were wounded.

Meanwhile, the deposed government of Hamas that rules the Gaza Strip was holding contacts with Egypt, Turkey and several United Nations officials to contain the crisis, local media reported.

The Gaza-based Al-Aqsa Television reported on Sunday morning that the Hamas government was holding contacts with several regional parties to avoid further Israeli escalation in the Gaza Strip.

The TV quoted official sources in the Hamas government as saying that it is also holding contacts with the leaders of the military factions, mainly the Islamic Jihad to avoid more violence in Gaza.

The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) in the West Bank also called on Israel to stop the violent retaliation on the Gaza Strip and called on Gaza militant groups "to avoid a large-scale Israeli war on the Gaza Strip."

In late 2008, Israel waged a three-week operation "Cast Lead" in the Gaza Strip to prevent militants from firing rockets at Israel. More than 1,400 Palestinians and 11 Israelis were killed during the operation.

The war ended as several regional parties, including Egypt, mediated an indirect ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. However, the fragile ceasefire has been broken several times.

The last escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip between the enclave's militants and Israel was in late August this year, when around 30 Palestinians and two Israelis were killed.

English.news.cn   2011-10-30 19:53:40